South Shore Equine Clinic & Diagnostic Center 151 Palmer Road Plympton, MA 02367 (781) 585-2611 www.ssequineclinic.com TOP 10 Gifts Your Horse Wants for Christmas
TOP 10 Gifts Your Horse Wants for Christmas 1. A Superior Preventative Wellness Plan from SSEC The South Shore Equine Clinic & Diagnostic Center s Wellness Package is both a huge savings to you, and allows for the most comprehensive care of your horse. By enrolling your horse in The Superior Preventative Wellness Plan (SPWP) before December 31st 2011, you will pay a reduced rate of just $525. After Dercember 31 st, the price increases to $555. Each additional horse is only $495. (We also offer a payment plan; please call the office for more details). The Wellness Plan is a onetime payment, no payments at the farm for any of the covered services or farm visits. It includes the farm call visits ( 2 in the Spring and 1 in the Fall); a comprehensive physical examination; ophthalmic examination; all your horse s core vaccines for the entire year; a complete nutritional evaluation analyzing the horse s weight and diet; blood work including a complete blood count (CBC), blood chemistry, and blood electrolyte evaluation; Coggins testing, two fecal egg counts with two ivermectin/ praziquantel deworming pastes; oral examination and floating with the Powerfloat and appropriate sedation; and sheath cleaning while under sedation for powerfloating. Also, as an added bonus for participating in the SPWP, you will receive 5% off any additional services for the entire year.
2. A weekend off from work It is necessary for your horse to occasionally receive time off from strenuous exercise, as any athlete needs time to rest and repair muscle damage. Cross training by way of turning out and letting the horse exercise himself will, in the long run, help with sore muscle and joints. If your horse has never been turned out, take steps to minimize injury by starting with a small paddock, allowing only a small amount of time at turnout initially, and by watching at all times. This time off also gives your horse time to relax and just be a horse, which is beneficial to keep his stress level in check. Let him/her be him/her for a day or two 3. A new saddle with a proper fit A poorly fitted saddle can cause subtle effects in the way the horse moves, even if you do not see saddle sores. To avoid back soreness, it is necessary to ensure that your saddle fits your horse properly. Saddles should fit the horse, not the rider. Imagine someone on your back do you care if they are comfortable, or would it be better that the saddle they are in does not pinch you in addition to carrying the weight? You may consider yourself lucky to have one saddle fit more than one horse. As your horse begins to age, grow, and become fit, his/her body shape may change meaning you need to pay particular attention to how the
saddle is fitting. We examine numerous horses with sore backs and performance problems which often only need a proper fitting saddle. 4. To lose 100 pounds Obesity can and will kill your horse. Advances in veterinary care allow us to make better decisions about your horse s dietary management. Also, obese horses are more prone to insulin resistance, high blood glucose levels, and the development of laminitis; all factors in the condition - Equine Metabolic Syndrome. By working with your veterinarian to implement a diet that will cut fat and calories but will still provide the necessary amounts of vitamins, minerals, fat, protein, and carbohydrates; your horse will shed pounds and be much healthier. Great advances have been made in horse nutrition in the last decade. There is now a diet for every life stage and requirement for each horse. By feeding the proper type of diet, you will ensure a healthier horse. 5. Less grain, more forage (I swear, I really want this) Horses were meant to be grazing animals. This means feeding small amounts of food frequently in a 24 hour period. Unfortunately, they are typically housed indoors for long periods of time, put under a lot of stress due to
athletic training, and fed large meals two or three times daily. This can take a toll on their gastrointestinal tract. Your horse should be receiving 1.5 2% of his body weight in forage per day. This is equal to ~15 to 20 pounds of good quality hay per day for the average 1000 pound horse at maintenance. If your horse is able to eat his requirement of forage, then he/she will only need a vitamin and mineral supplement with a small amount of protein to make up for any deficiencies in the hay. By first having a hay analysis done, you can be exact with the other nutritional requirements that need to be added. 6. To finally get rid of those hives Some horses suffer from seasonal allergies and frequently break out in hives lesions all over the body. Some cases are extremely mild, while others are more severe and require more immediate intervention. For chronic or recurrent cases, serum allergy and/or intradermal skin testing may be beneficial to find out what the underlying problem may be and what can be done to minimize the problem. Once the allergens are known, specific management changes (i.e., different bedding or blankets) and potential feed changes (i.e., removing molasses, corn, or alfalfa) could be all that is necessary to finally get rid of those hives.
7. Alfalfa at least a little bit! Horses residing in the northeast, more so than other locations are notoriously deficient in vitamin E, as measured in blood serum. This may be in part due to a diet deficient in vitamin E, but can also be due to other factors that are beyond the scope of this discussion. Prolonged deficiencies in vitamin E can lead to a permanent, progressive neuromuscular disease known as Equine Motor Neuron Disease; characterized by weight loss, muscle loss, and weakness. There are vitamin E supplements that can be implemented if necessary, however we can also perform routine screening of your horse by submitting a blood sample for testing at yearly health visits; as it is best to catch the deficiency before clinical signs are noted. Alfalfa hay or cubes are rich in protein and vitamins and minerals, and can be a nice addition to your horse s diet. Mixed cubes of alfalfa and timothy are readily available at all grain supply stores. You can feed them dry or add some water and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes to soften prior to feeding. 8. To be turned out on the back forty, instead of being stuck in this stall Turn out with the ability to graze is one of the best gifts you can provide your horse with. Being cooped up in a stall at all times can promote boredom, stress,
and the development of vices such as cribbing, weaving, and stall walking. These stresses can also lead to the development of gastric ulceration. A study was done on 12 random horses at our clinic and showed 8 of the 12 to have some kind of gastric ulceration. While stall rest is necessary at times of injury or inclement weather, try to provide your horse with turnout or exercise as much as possible. 9. Carrots, apples, and peppermints Using positive reinforcement can be very beneficial for training purposes. Horses are, by nature very food motivated so if you do have to do something that may be perceived as negative (i.e. treating an eye (or corneal) ulcer with topical antibiotics), try using food as a reward for good behavior to help yield a more positive response to treatment. Only a small bite size amount is necessary, and it should be given while the resentful procedure is being done. 10. A Date with Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta Rachel Alexandra is now a retired Thoroughbred filly racehorse, whose racing career earned her the honor of Horse of the Year in 2009. Basically, she ran against the boys and won! She gained much fame in the 2009 Preakness Stakes
when she became the first filly in 85 years to win. Zenyatta won her first 19 races, losing her 20 th at the 2010 Breeder s Cup by only a head. She is considered by many to be the best race horse of all time. What stud wouldn t want a breeding date with either of these ladies??? The doctors and staff at South Shore Equine Clinic & Diagnostic Center would like to wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you, your family, and to your horse(s).